Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman spoke with The Northerner shortly before delivering the commencement address for Chase College of Law’s Class of 2025 on May 9.

Coleman was playing the role of pinch hitter for Gov. Andy Beshear, who was originally slated to give the address but was unable to attend due to travel complications while in California yesterday.

Originally, Beshear had agreed to sit down with the Northerner before his address, and Coleman agreed to fill in for the interview as well.

Coleman discussed education challenges facing the commonwealth, Beshear’s leadership style, and her nonprofit focused on women’s leadership, Lead Kentucky.

Respect for Educators

Before entering politics, Coleman spent years in Kentucky classrooms as a high school social studies teacher, basketball coach and assistant principal. That experience, she said, continues to shape how she sees the state’s education system today.

“Our school systems are a place of hope,” Coleman said, “It’s where adults show up every day to pour into our kids to build a better Kentucky.”

Despite her sense of optimism, she said she’s troubled by what she sees as a growing lack of respect for teachers, most clearly reflected in hindered efforts to raise their pay.

“We’ve been able to, under Governor Beshear, secure raises for law enforcement, for social workers and for state employees, the only group that we have not been able to secure those raises for our teachers,” she said.

“I think that comes from a general lack of respect for the profession,” Coleman said, “But again, these are the folks that show up every day and help raise our kids right.”

For Coleman, the issue isn’t just about policy, it’s about recognizing the work teachers do in shaping the future of the state.

“I still see hope there,” she said, “but I know it could be so much better if they felt respected and they were given the same grace as other state employees.”

On Beshear’s growing national profile

Beshear has been increasing the scope of his public image recently, speaking at conferences and events, giving high-profile interviews and starting “The Andy Beshear Podcast.” This has caused many to speculate on the possibility of a presidential run in 2028.

Despite this growth in national visibility, Coleman says the qualities that have drawn national attention to Beshear haven’t changed since their first campaign together in 2019.

“Andy is who Andy has always been,” she said. “He treats every Kentucky family like they’re his own.”

She pointed to his steady leadership through a turbulent few years, two campaigns, the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters, as a sign of character. While not everyone agrees with his decisions, she said, many still trust his intentions.

“I don’t always agree with the governor, but I believe he’s doing the best he knows how to do,” is a phrase Coleman said she hears often when traveling around the state. To her, that kind of trust, even from political opponents, says a lot about the governor.

“I think that speaks volumes about maybe what the country is looking for moving forward,” she said.

Investing in female leadership

Later in the conversation, Coleman spoke about the importance of developing leadership in young women, a focus that led her to found the nonprofit Lead Kentucky in 2013, aimed at empowering young women to take initiative on their college campuses and beyond.

She said she was struck by the disconnect between the leadership she saw in high school girls and the lack of women in Kentucky’s political landscape.

“We’ve only ever had one female governor. We’ve never had a woman U.S. senator,” she said. “The leadership we see in high school girls just wasn’t translating.”

Coleman explained that college is a major turning point.

“If women are planning the rest of their lives in college and don’t see themselves as leaders, they may never,” she said.

Lead Kentucky, she added, is designed to close that gap regardless of major or political affiliation, by offering mentorship and the tools needed to lead.

Coleman’s willingness to step in is certainly a defining trait. Just as she stepped in for the graduates of Chase Law when Beshear was unable, she’s shown up on behalf of educators around the commonwealth and young women looking to become leaders.